High Altitude One Layer Almond Cake
A high altitude recipe for a moist, one layer almond cake, with nutty almond flour, almond extract and a hint of cardamom, frosted with almond buttercream.
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment
Ingredients
Cake
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ tsp almond extract
- ⅔ cup whole milk, room temperature
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- ½ cup almond flour (or very finely chopped almonds)
Buttercream
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ⅛ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ½ tbsp meringue powder
- ¼ cup almonds, very finely chopped
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line a 9-inch square baking dish with parchment paper, or spray it with non-stick baking spray.
- In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue to cook the butter until nutty, golden brown milk solids form at the bottom of the pan. This process might take about 10 minutes. First the butter will hiss and splatter as the water evaporates, then as it quiets down, a layer of foam will form on top of the butter. This means the butter is done. Immediately remove from the heat, and scrape the butter, including the brown milk solids, into a large bowl. Let cool for 10 minutes.
- In a bowl, whisk together the cooled brown butter with the granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract, milk and sour cream, until combined.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and cardamom. Add the almond flour, then whisk until everything is evenly distributed.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet, whisking just until moistened.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for about 32-35 minutes, until the top springs back when gently touched, or a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean. Set the pan on a wire rack, covered with a clean kitchen towel, and cool completely before frosting.
- This cake will have a golden brown crust around the edges, very much like a pound cake, and it's absolutely delicious. If you prefer, you can trim off the dark edge before serving.
Buttercream
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, vanilla extract and almond extract for 1 minute, until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar, meringue powder and salt, mixing on low until combined. Whip the buttercream on medium high speed for 4-5 minutes, until very light and fluffy, scraping the bowl down several times while mixing. Turn the speed down to "stir" and mix for 1 more minute. Fold in the chopped almonds, reserving some to sprinkle on top of the buttercream.
- Spread the buttercream onto the cooled cake, swirling it with an offset spatula, and sprinkle with the rest of the chopped almonds. Cut the cake into 16 squares (for small servings) or 9 squares for large servings.
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